Tahiti in the early 60's

[Lewis]

I was on the Northern Star and the Southern Cross in the early sixties and I would like to see pictures of Tahiti from that era. I remember a great bar Quinns or was it Quims. Be nice to hear from someone who was there.
All the best, Lewis.

[Captain Kong]

I go to Tahiti regularly, have a lot of Tahitian friends there, I was there last April but do not remember seeing a Quinns Bar, the nearest one to the dock is Le Brasserie, and only one or two in town, There are no more Sailor Bars,
Most of the town, Papeete, has been demolished and rebuilt, it is now a very large city. with big new highways.
Cheers
Brian.

[Bob Hollis]

Hi Lewis,

Yes I was in Papeete a few times in that period. Quinns was the first bar and it was a wood and bamboo structure with no glass in the windows, thank goodness. Frequented by the French Legion and merchant seamen, some great scraps and if you got heaved through a window you just shook yourself down and re-entered to join the fray. lol

[Gerry O'Neill]

How could I forget Quinn’s Bar, the first time I ever tasted onion beer!!!! And the last.
But by the fourth beer somehow the taste was OK. I remember the band played behind a U shaped bar, as it was a safe place to be and the bar was high enough you could not easily jump over it. The things that happened on the dance floor where definitely X- rated by today’s standards.
I seem to remember through the onion beer haze a fight started somewhere on the dance floor between the locals and the crew which then spilled out onto the street, accompanied by many flying chairs, tables’ bottles etc.
Being young fella's and a bit out of our depth, three of us slipped under the table with our beers and watched the developments from there. (When you have had a few onion beers this appeared to be a good move, which actually did turn out to be a good move). Next we heard the siren as the Gendarmerie’s arrived in a paddy wagon. There followed much waving of batons on heads and a few locals plus crew where bundled into the back of the paddy wagon. A pause in the action resulted. But it then it did not take long for everybody to realise the common enemy was not the crew or the Tahitian’s but the Gendarmerie’s !!!. So with a concerted effort and combined forces and sortie was mounted to empty the paddy wagon. The combined force overwhelmed the Gendarmerie’s who retreated to the end of the street. A now happy crowd returned to the bar and the band started up again, back to business as usual. We now resumed our seats at the table after clearing away the broken glass & bottles. The Gendarmerie’s spent the evening outside just in case. What a memorable evening for a young 18 year old from Birkenhead. The ship was the NZSCo’s Rangitoto.

[John Wallace]

I was on the Northern Star and the Southern Cross in the early sixties and I would like to see pictures of Tahiti from that era. I remember a great bar Quinns or was it Quims. Be nice to hear from someone who was there.
All the best, Lewis.

Yes Quinns and the nice cold Onion beer well it was while drinking it, then walking back to your ship in the sun throwing all that Aluminum coins to the locals,that beer got nice and hot and up it came,leaving that tast you would like to forget,so next trips spent time at the Hotel Tahiti and better
class of girls,I have posted some photos,

---------- Post added at 04:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:21 PM ----------

Now for you who remember those lovely moden toilets, correct me if wrong,
it was wire mesh on the floor and the ladys if I may call them that, there loo was a long drop (hole in the ground) the door was plastic strip curtains, and if you past a remark to them they would push you onto that wet geen wall.
Oh! those happy days.

[Doc Vernon]

Here is pic of old Quinns Bar Tahiti 1963
Cheers

1-quinns.jpg

quinns.jpg

The Original Quinns Bar

Susie the Famous Quinns Bar Girl,anyone remember her?

2-quinns-susie.jpg

[John Wallace]

Dont remember that one the only one I remember had a navy cap band on her head,
and she squated in the middle of us blokes and had a pee, A REAL LADY>

[Captain Kong]

The beer today is `Hinano` and it is £6 a glass, I guess things change, I doubt you could afford to drink enough to fight anyone today. Now a Very expensive place
. Just one or two small bars and Hotels, Now you pay big city prices. You cannot even cross the road from the dock, a four lane highway to cross the road, and lots of traffic jams.
The TAHITI of yesterday has now gone the way of all good `Sailor` ports. There is a big, big shortage of Seafarers of our caliber today, and a big shortage of ships that stay in port long enough. The Filipinos and Asian Semen do not go ashore for a bevy today. So all the good bars have gone.
The same worl wide, the whole of south America the bars have shut, all gone.
.
Have a nice day with the memories.
Cheers
Brian.

[Dave Lloyd]

Hi i was there in 1960 on the Cape Ortegal after running aground at Makatea Island,the Bounty was ther at that time for filming Mutinty on the Bounty,Loved Quins bar run by Eddie Lund,bandleader of the band there.He had been deported a couple of times but just returned when things quietened down.Hinano onion beer was favorite,loved it,happy days and a great time was had by all,No one wanted to leave the island.
any others from the Ortegal out there
best wishes,
Dave (felix)

[Captain Kong]

I was in Tahiti again in February this year, I go almost every year, be back again next February. Quins was demolished a few years ago, the ground cleared and an Insurance Company built Offices on the site.
Fortunately I have a lot of Tahitian friends there so it is Party time when we go. What few bars there are , are now very expensive.
We do not stay in Papeete but go to different parts of the Island to have parties in different homes. The people are very friendly, and always give gifts on leaving. This year we were down in Tahiti-iti and had a party on the beach there.

I prefer going there than to anywhere in europe. The people are far nicer. so it is worth paying that little bit extra to get there.
Here are a few photos of my Tahitian friends.
Cheers
Brian